Promoting women's access to work

Women account for close to 40 per cent of the work force in the world, yet they are always disadvantaged at work, with their activities either unpaid or underpaid compared with that of their male colleagues.

With a view to addressing the issues linked to equal pay and discrimination or exploitation in the workplace, the IPU and the International Labour Organization (ILO) organized in December 2007 at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, a Conference on Women and Work, in which Ms. Nouzha Skalli, Minister for Social Development, Families and Solidarity of Morocco and some 150 members of parliament from 55 pays participated.

In the words of IPU President, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, promoting women's access to the labour market and strengthening their economic contribution are not only key factors of development and for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but also a matter of justice.

The Conference participants concluded that to secure and promote equality for women in the workplace, we must begin with a strong and effective legal framework. Developing gender-sensitive legislation is the basic foundation for which we - as parliamentarians - have responsibility. National legislation must meet the international standards and benchmarks to which our countries are committed. It must also address national realities and serve the interests of all our constituents, including rural women and marginalized women.

The development of micro credits is very important

The Moroccan Minister for Social Development, Families and Solidarity, Ms. Nouzha Skalli, explained to the World of Parliaments the status of women in the workplace in Morocco.

Q: It would seem that just about everywhere in the world, employment is falling, particularly among young women with a string of qualifications who often can only find dangerous jobs or are hired as consultants. How do you explain that?
Nouzha Skalli : Indeed, as far as the active labour force is concerned, globally there is a slight downward trend. Because women work a lot in the informal sector, they are faced with two problems: the dangerous nature of their job and the lack of social security. How can we address this problem? In our country, the development of micro credits is very important as Morocco is becoming a leading country in the area of micro credits. Within my ministry, we have set up programmes to help develop income-generating activities for women and cooperatives in order to enable women to participate in the country's development.

Q: What is the situation regarding child labour?
N.S. : In Morocco today, there is very strong political will to combat child labour. Regarding legislation, the Labour Code prohibits child labour for children under 15 years of age and applies very strict rules on working conditions and quality of work to working children aged between 15 and 18. The work carried out by children in this age bracket should become more aligned with an apprenticeship or internship.

Q: And what is your view on the so-called “child maids”?
N.S. : Our Ministry has put in place an assistance programme and civil society is also conducting activities to address the problem of school drop outs and child labour. We are preparing specific legislation to combat child labour, with tougher sanctions, in particular with regard to middle men. A year ago, we launched a huge awareness-raising campaign about the work carried out by little girls. We keep a register of the little girls who are working and we try to reunite them with their families. We also try to provide the families with social assistance, by giving them foodstuffs, for example, to encourage them to send their girls to school.

Q: How do the families react?
N.S. : The families take the girls back in and register them at school, but they insist that they send their girls to work because they need the money. That is why we endeavour to develop an income-generating activity for one member of the family - often the mother - and we provide assistance in terms of school needs for the children.